Results 3,141-3,160 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The company in question has not been granted any programme by my Department. However, we do have a research service agreement with the company. The company publishes independent research and provides one to one customer advice, on all aspects of ICT using in excess of 1,000 analysts and consultants who advise executives worldwide. Subscription to this service gives the Department access to a...

Written Answers — Public Service Contracts: Public Service Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: No contracts awarded by my Department between 1995 and 2004 over-ran financially as a result of jobs being incorrectly specified. The practice in my Department is to engage consultants at agreed fixed fees, resulting in fixed price contracts. It sometimes happens, however, that the need arises to perform additional pieces of work, which could not have been anticipated at the outset and which...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. The Government appointed Deputy Tom Kitt as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at my Department and at the Department of Defence and Deputy Noel Treacy as Minister of State at my Department and at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs. Deputy Kitt, as Chief Whip, is primarily...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is 23 years since I was Chief Whip so I can hardly remember how the system works. It is meant to work in such a way that Ministers and Ministers of State on official business can seek pairs. The Chief Whip deals with Opposition Whips to arrange those pairs so thatthe Ministers and Ministers of State can continue to engage in official business on behalf of the Government. From time to time,...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: With regard to the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, the work of Europe goes on. Much of it is carried out in the Department of Foreign Affairs, where the Minister of State stands in for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and attends meetings on European initiatives. In my Department the Minister of State chairs the meetings of the interdepartmental co-ordinating committee on EU affairs, which...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: My Department has no proposals in that regard, although I changed roles and responsibilities at the last change of Government. I do not want to discuss this matter in detail as it is outside the scope of the question but, with regard to the responsibilities of other Ministers of State, from time to time we consider it appropriate to switch around or change ministerial functions, as was...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: To the best of my knowledge, and subject to correction, the staff complement referred to by the Deputy is four. The Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, has an adviser, but the number of constituency staff is four and the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, has the same number. While the EU constitution work is not proceeding at the same level, there still is a reflection period, and Deputy Treacy...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The content of the two questions about advertising procedures was raised last week. I have just been checking again what the procedures are. In the case that came up last week, it was the Dublin Transportation Office that organised the advertisement. I am conscious that such issues should be restricted to the Departments concerned so that unnecessary arguments do not arise. We must keep...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is. The Department of Finance always had an old rule that once an election started, photocopiers and printers could not be used for anything that was directly related to an election issue. That extended to circulars that were sent out during an election period, so if something was to be sent out about a traffic problem outside election time, that was allowed, otherwise it was not. That...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: This sounds like a Government without me.

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There have been many traditional procedures in the House that have worked well. The pairing arrangements in the Dáil are not dissimilar to other parliaments, where the major parties operate pairing arrangements based on rules set out from time to time by the Whips. These are based on urgent business and the domestic situation as they see fit. In my time in the House, the Whips have run this...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The historical connection is that there was a link between the Department of the Taoiseach and the Defence Forces. The responsibility rests with the Minister of State. As far as this connection to civil defence is concerned, the President has a key role as the Taoiseach meets the President monthly. I believe that the Civil Defence probably would have been abolished 20 or 30 years ago, had it...

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: As to the first question, this obviously refers to a meeting where Deputy Kitt was acting as the Minister of State at the Department of Defence. At meetings which he attends on behalf of the Minister for Defence, he reports to that Minister. Both my ministerial colleagues concerned have informed me that the meeting in question pertained to peacekeeping in the EU.

Ministerial Responsibilities. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Keeping the peace is not an easy task and all aspects must be examined, which is what was being done on that occasion. As regards Deputy Kehoe's question, I meet the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Kitt, every day and I meet the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Treacy, several times a week.

Departmental Bodies. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 9, inclusive, together. A high level of civic engagement and participation significantly contributes to individual, community and societal well-being. However, it is generally accepted that there are pressures on this type of civic engagement in modern Ireland arising from work and family responsibilities, changing settlement patterns and evolving...

Departmental Bodies. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will deal briefly with the questions. The first issue is not a matter for me as it relates to a community workshop which has an ongoing issue about funding with the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív. I have done some work to try to assist in that but it is a matter for the Estimates. When we announced the task force on active citizenship we asked for...

Departmental Bodies. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The first speech I made on this issue was in April and at that stage, I asked people to make submissions. A great variety of ideas came from those at the conference regarding how we might best take this forward, and it has taken us a long time to agree terms of reference regarded as workable by all the relevant organisations on the basis of their submissions. I agree with the Deputy that...

Departmental Bodies. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is certainly not being done as it was in the past. I am not sure whether it could be contracted out in the same way as the census, but it could be done far better than at present — that would not be hard. The Minister, Deputy Roche, is bringing forward an initiative on the register and another on the Deputy's first point regarding awareness and the importance of participation. I...

Departmental Bodies. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I have spelled out the terms of reference, which are broad and will allow people put forward what they believe are the various dimensions of Irish life regarding influences, both positive and negative, and the levels of participation and engagement. Having seen many of the submissions, both written and e-mail, on this, there is an enormous interest on the part of all kinds of groups, bodies...

Departmental Bodies. (15 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: On initiatives like that it is not a bad idea within local authority areas, but it is not so good in constitutional or legislative areas.